Tottenham fan bailed over chant

07 October 2013 02:01

A Tottenham supporter arrested at half-time during Sunday's 3-0 defeat to West Ham for using the term 'Yid' has been released on bail until November.

Both sets of fans travelling to the match at White Hart Lane had been warned by police that they could face arrest if they were heard chanting the word, which has been a recurring theme amongst Spurs supporters for some time.

Yid is a term for a Jewish person which is often considered derogatory, but fans of the north London club chant the word as an act of defiance against those who taunt them because of their links with the Jewish community.

Despite the police warning, home fans sang ''Yid army'' and ''We'll sing what we want'' before kick-off and the chants did not cease throughout the match. Police confirmed that a 51-year-old man was arrested after committing a section five public order offence at half-time in the stadium's East Stand and he will now appear in court later next month.

West Ham's fans were under intense scrutiny after last year's corresponding Barclays Premier League fixture was marred by a small section of the away support using anti-Semitic language and hissing loudly in an attempt to mimic the gassing of Jews during the Holocaust.

The Hammers' co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold, as well as manager Sam Allardyce, had pleaded with fans ahead of the game to avoid a repeat of such instances and, with no arrests linked to chanting made amongst their supporters, it appears the West Ham fans listened.

The Metropolitan Police on Monday confirmed that nine other arrests were made for other public order offences during and after the match, which the away team won courtesy of second-half goals from Winston Reid, Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison.